Posted By Paul Leadbetter John People seem to have forgotten the dictum 'moderation in all things'. Used in moderation, I think the risk, if any, from mobile 'phones will be very low. The risk would have to be high to get people to stop using them and I don't think that they would ever be withdrawn from use because they are simply too useful. Many people have still to accept the fact that nothing is completely safe and such people will object to nearly everything that carries some risk even if that risk is small. I don't work for the industry, by the way Paul

Posted By Richard Mathews just read the postings on mobile phones and construction. Richard

Posted By Gerry Knowles I am now old enough to be regarded as a coffin dodger and as such I have seen a lot of changes in technology. I remember that colour televisions would make women infertile and we would all go blind, microwave ovens would cook the food and anything else within 20 feet regardless of the amount of screening. To mention a couple of things that have not come to pass. I think as a nation we have evolved to worry about the new and unknown. I guess that the jury is still out but if past changes have been anything to go by mobile phones will be safe just as soon as the next bit of dangerous technology comes along. Gerry Knowles

Posted By J Knight I must admit that the parallels with the 'radiation hazards' from VDUs had crossed my mind, and we do need to discourage any starving urchin chimney-sweeps from using their mobiles, but the research on this topic does all seem to point one way. We do (where I work) control mobile use, on the grounds that a) people shouldn't use them at all when carrying out hazardous activities such as driving (CRANES! Good grief!) and b) if they're talking to their mates/bookies/mum/whoever they ain't actually working. But part of me would like to know what the actual risk, if any, is; however, it seems that right now nobody actually does; moderation seems to be the best guide when its a) safe and b) work related, but what do I do when everybody in the organisation rings me on the mobile because all they have to remember to do that is my name and not my number? I just hope this isn't toasting my brains (though I'm far from convinced that it is) John

Posted By John Murgatroyd Well, the foil thing comes from the "faraday cage" effect, where radios INSIDE an earthed metal cage just don't receive signals. The theory being that having the foil between the phone and your body will reflect the rf away from your body. Unfortunately, the radiation not only goes horizontally but vertically as well. At the frequencies used by gsm mobiles (900 and 1800 mhz (ish)) practically all the signal is absorbed by the first few mms of your body. Some reports showed blood pressure increase in mobile phone users.....but if you'd been paying 30+ a month for a contract and your phone still cuts off in the middle of a call you'd have high blood pressure as well. Others show dna damage in cells....same as sunlight then, but you pay 30+ a month for the phone, so at least you're getting your monies worth. The thing to remember is this, scientists need something to do to live.....so expect loads more health scares yet, it's a growth industry. The EU research cost over 30 million euros to confirm what was already known. The hard facts are these, if you're worried that your mobile is damaging you then even without ever using it, it is. The psychological damage is probably harming you more than any physical effect.

Posted By John Murgatroyd It's more complicated than that. The "shield" between the phone and your body is supposed to reflect the rf away from you...but as I said, it goes up/down/left/right...etc..omnidirectional in fact, so the shield is ok for your right/left breast... As for the ferrite bead....whether that works depends on the type of ferrite...there are different beads for different frequencies...and the phone, as I said, is radiating in all directions...you could use a bluetooth headset...but if you're worried about "radiation" then you should remember that it operates at about 2400 mhz...just about the same as a m/wave oven (but a LOT lower power) Take your pick....you're more likely to be killed walking across the road while chatting on the phone, than from the rf emitted by the phone.

Posted By Mark Talbot Well, Brainiacs [Sci programme on Sky] tried a simple experiment... 100 mobile phones transmitting around an egg ... would the egg cook? No. Mamals deal with local temperature variations [the thing caused the DNA mutation, apparently] by shunting the heat around the body through the blood circulation system, and expiring / dissipating unwanted heat [try commuting on the Central Line and you will know all about that]. Compared to the other risks I face in the day, the mobile is minor. The experiments which have shown problems have chosen very high dosage on very small samples ... I'm a big bloke with a small phone.